Left: "Happy Days" focuses on the life and times of 3 teenagers (Richie, Potsie & Ralph played by Ron Howard, Anson Williams & Don Most) growing up in the rock n roll era of the 1950's under the guidance of Fonzie (Henry Winkler), a biker hood with a heart-of-gold. Most of the stars of this critically acclaimed teen sitcom were nominated for Emmy's & Golden Globes at one stage or another, with Henry Winkler and later Scott Baio actually winning awards.

A special page dedicated to television's most popular Teen Shows from the 1950's to the present.Click here for Teen TV Shows on DVD

50 Great Years of "Teen TV Shows"

When television first arrived crowds gathered outside department store windows and electrical shops just to get a glimpse of the moving pictures that would inevitably filter into everyone's lounge rooms. Since these early days of television "Teen TV Shows" have popped up on the small screen, initially in glorious black & white and later in vibrant color. Teens fell in love with their TVs so film producers continued to churn out TV shows specially designed for the young audience. "Teen TV" is a special tribute page dedicated to some of television's most popular Teen Shows. The page features a small selection of "Teen TV Shows" from the 1950's to the new millennium. Happy Memories.

Right:"The Facts Of Life" is a spin-off from the TV series "Diff'rent Strokes". It looks at the trials and tribulations of a group of teenage girls attending a boarding school under the guidance of headmistress Edna Garrett (played by Charlotte Rae). This popular TV series that had a special appeal to teenage girls, won a lot of critical acclaim when a number of its talented stars went on to win "Young Artist" awards.

Above: "Welcome Back Kotter" (1975-1979) was a high school comedy about an understanding teacher who taught a remedial class of misfit students known as the "Sweathogs". Gabe Kaplan starred as Mr. Kotter and John Travolta as student Vinnie Barbarino.

Left:After his success on "Happy Days" and the spin-off series "Joanie Loves Chachi" Scott Baio was signed up for "Charles In Charge". Scott plays Charles, a college student who moves in with a family and agrees to act as housekeeper and babysitter for their children in exchange for free room and board. Also on hand to join in the fun was Charles' misfit mate, Buddy Lembeck, played by Willie Aames. The series was a critical success with two of Scott's co-stars, Nicole Eggert and Josie Davis winning "Young Artist" awards for their work on the show.

Left:"The Patty Duke Show" is a light-hearted look at the comedic misadventures of two pretty high school girls, both aged sixteen & identical cousins. The roles of the two cousins, Patty & Cathy Lane were both played by Patty Duke. The series was not only popular with teens but also with the critics. Patty Duke recieved both an Emmy and a Golden Globe nomination for her work on the series.

Left:Teenage genius Doogie Howser (Neil Patrick Harris) is confronted with all the usual problems of growing up and more. Doogie is a responsible licensed physician but his regular teenage life tends to add some complications to the mix. Neil Patrick Harris won "Best Young Actor in a Television Series" at the "Young Artist" awards three years in a row.

Right:Sally Field played everybody's favorite Californian beach girl Frances "Gidget" Lawrence in this TV adaptation based on the popular big screen film series that starred the likes of Sandra Dee, Deborah Walleyand Cindy Carol in the title role.The one major difference between the TV series and the feature films is that Gidget's father in the TV series is a widowed college professor.

Right:This series looked at the misadventures of a group of students attending Bayside High School in California. The show starred Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Zack), Mario Lopez (Slater), Dustin Diamond (Screech), Tiffani-Amber Thiessen (Kelly), Elizabeth Berkley (Jessica) & Lark Voorhies (Lisa). In its final year it was called "Saved by the Bell: The College Years" (1993) & then came the spin-off "Saved by the Bell: The New Class" (1993 - 2000). Two TV movies also followed, "Saved by the Bell: Hawaiian Style" (1992) & "Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas" (1994).

Right:In this high school comedy series, based on the popular movie of the same name, many of the actors from the movie return, but the lead role of Cher originally made famous by Alicia Silverstone is played by Rachel Blanchard.

Left:This popular fantasy/adventure series takes a look at the comic book character of Superman from a different perspective. The series turns the focus to a young Clark Kent (Tom Welling) and his attempts to adapt his regular teenage life, complete with super powers, in the township of "Smallville".

Right:Set in the small coastal town of Capeside, "Dawson's Creek" focuses on the lives and loves of a group of teenagers. The popular teen drama series stars James Van Der Beek (Dawson), Katie Holmes (Joey), Joshua Jackson (Pacey) and Michelle Williams (Jen). The series won the "Teen Choice" award in 1999 & 2000 for "Choice Drama Series" and Joshua Jackson was 2001's "Choice Actor" winner.

Right:"The Wonder Years" was successful in mixing drama & comedy with historical events, as it looked closely at the teenage life of Kevin Arnold (Fred Savage), his best friend Paul Pfeiffer (Josh Saviano) and his childhood sweetheart Winnie Cooper (Danica McKellar) as they faces challenges whilst growing up during the changing times of the 1960's. This nostalgic look back is told by narration through the words of an adult Kevin. The show won numerous awards including "Oustanding Comedy Series" at the Emmy's & "Best Comedy/Musical TV Series" at the Golden Globes.

Right:This popular comedy series looks at regular city teenager Dwayne Hickman (Dobie Gillis) and his irregular friend Bob Denver (Maynard G. Krebs, regarded at TV's first beatnik) as they go searching for love in all the wrong places during the early 1960's. Even Tueday Weld and Warren Beatty did a stint on the show during the first season.

Right:A TV series about a group of high school teens that form a rock band and try to gain a record contract. The series starred Kelly Packard, William James Jones & Michael Cade.

Left:This action-packed fantasy series stars Sarah Michelle Gellar as the vampire slayer and co-stars Alyson Hannigan, Seth Green, Nicholas Brendon and Anthony Stewart. The long running series was a spin-off from the popular 1992 feature film of the same name that starred Kristy Swanson and Beverly Hills 90210's Luke Perry.

Left:This teen drama series focused on the lives of a group of rich kids who attended Beverly Hills High School. As the cast got older the series moved on to their college years. Some of the original cast members included, Jason Priestley, Luke Perry, Shannen Doherty, Tori Spelling, Brian Austin Green, Ian Ziering, Carol Potter and Gabrielle Carteris.

Left:This Teen TV show was based on the popular 1985 John Hughes movie "Weird Science". This time round the High school geeks, Wyatt Donnelly and Gary Wallace are played by Michael Manasseri & John Mallory Asher. Vanessa Angel now plays the dream girl Lisa, originally played by Kelly Le Brock in the movie version.

Left:When "The Adventures Of Ozzie & Harriet" first aired on American television it was classified as a family-situation-comedy, but by the end of its run teenager Ricky Nelson had become so popular that he emerged as the main drawcard of the series. In no time at all it became clear that the show's core audience was teenagers and Ricky's presence was responsible for the longevity of the series. Many of the later episodes would often feature a clip of Ricky singing, tacked on the end of the show, to satisfy the demand of the teenage audience.

Left: Hot on the heels of British super group "The Beatles" and their big screen movie "A Hard Day's Night" came America's answer to the fab four, "The Monkees". The popular TV show, starring Micky, Davy, Mike & Peter saw the quartet go from one outrageous situation to another. Many of their way-out antics and crazy adventures may not have made a lot of sense but nevertheless with a bit of slapstick and a few catchy songs thrown in for good measure, the show proved to be ideal entertainment for teenagers.

Right: "The Partridge Family" follows the comedic exploits of widow Shirley Jones and her children as they tour the country in a brightly painted bus, performing music along their travels. This TV show about the adventures of a family of pop musicians proved to be a great showcase for David Cassidy's musical talents and quickly established him as a popular teen star of the 1970's. It is interesting to note that Shirley Jones is in fact David's real-life stepmother.